20.1 - (Me)
[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]
Madoka Awoke lying on top of a garden wall basking in the pleasant warmth of a sunlit day. Without thinking she stretched leisurely, her tail flicking contentedly. A moment later she all but fell from her perch as she realized that she had a tail! It was then that her memories caught up to her, and she realized what exactly had happened. She was a cat. And not just any cat! She had Looped in as Amy! Even more amazingly, she had memories of interacting with her human self. What she didn't have however, was memories of being run over by a car and being brought back to life. Which meant... which meant there was still a chance! She could prevent anything bad from happening to any of her friends at all this Loop.
With that determination burning in her belly, she set her kitty shoulders and prepared to rush to the rescue. This proved somewhat difficult as she immediately lost her balance and tumbled to the earth beneath her in a ball of awkwardly flailing fur and embarrassment. Getting cautiously back to her feet, she amended herself. First step would be to get used to running on four legs, second step would be rushing to the rescue.
-x-x-x-x-
One thing Madoka had always wanted to do was to take Amy home with her. Unfortunately Amy enjoyed being outside too much to ever allow Madoka to do so. Thus it struck her as supremely ironic that the very first and only time she'd ever managed to do so, was as Amy. Her Unawake counterpart was ecstatic when she followed her home and chose not to leave again. Junko was notably less enthusiastic, but accepting of her daughter's new pet.
For Madoka's part, she found that life as a cat wasn't bad. Yes, the collar was a bit irritating but ear scratches more than made up for it in her opinion. Additionally, her presence seemed to greatly cheer up the other her. Madoka had long since accepted that she had a bit of an inadequacy issue, something which no doubt had made it all the easier for Kyubey to trick her in the first place. Her Baseline wish had gone a long way to helping her come to terms with her perceived shortcomings, and once Homura and her friends had started Looping they'd done even more for her. She was completely willing to pass that back along to her other self as much as she was able.
All good things however must end, and it wasn't long before the first hurdle made itself known. The problem with Loop Variable details was that it made it difficult to avoid certain issues, especially if she Awoke in one of the earlier Timelines as they were all subtly different from one another. The look on Sayaka's face that one Loop where Kyousuke was into Rock & Roll was always good for a giggle. Exactly how Madoka first met Mami in her first timeline was completely random, but it almost always revolved around Witches in some manner.
This time it took the form of the other her getting Kissed.
-x-x-x-x-
Biting down hard on another of the Familiars as it moved in closer, Madoka made a mental note to make a point of finding abilities in one of the other Loops that didn't require opposable thumbs. Wind Chakra was good for strengthening her teeth and claws and Shunpo was helpful for giving her a speed boost, but there was only so much she could do without hands against so many opponents. Let alone against the actual Witch. Thus Mami's appearance came as a supreme relief.
As expected of Mami, she easily dealt with the Witch while Madoka was busy protecting her other self and within a few moments the Barrier collapsed. As the Kiss faded from other Madoka's neck, she slumped to the ground in a nearly insensate daze and Madoka rubbed against her face gently as the world returned to normal.
"How curious. Is that cat perhaps another of your kind Kyubey?"
-She is not. Until today I was unaware that any animal might be able to interact with a Witch's Barrier, let alone survive against so many familiars. It is quite an interesting discovery, wouldn't you agree?-
Turning a distrustful glare at the Incubator that had approached her unconscious other self, Madoka felt her hackles rising. Moving protectively in front of herself, she hissed angrily in warning.
Mami held her hands in front of her mouth to hide her giggle. "Oh dear, it seems like she doesn't like you Kyubey," she teased, kneeling in front of Madoka and reaching out cautiously to try to pet her. Madoka gratefully accepted the gesture, butting her head softly against Mami's hand and involuntarily letting out a quiet purr. "What a dutiful guardian you are. Your owner is lucky to have someone so capable."
-Are you sure that that is wise? This animal did just use several unknown abilities to attack the Witch's Familiars. It may be dangerous-
Mami paused to consider that, before shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. She wasn't scared of those Familiars at all, and she fought bravely to defend this girl. Do you think perhaps that she might have belonged to a former Magical Girl who used her magic to make it stronger?"
Kyubey tilted its head contemplatively. -I suppose that that is theoretically possible. If so however, it is the first time I've ever encountered such a wasteful use of magic before. The amount of magic needed to enhance a common housecat to such a degree that they could retain those abilities even after their owner has disappeared would be phenomenal. It would however explain her ability to see me. Not to mention the Witch's Familiars.-
Madoka interrupted Kyubey's attempt to examine her other self with a chakra enhanced swipe of her paw, only to be brought up short by Mami picking her up and moving her away. "Now now. None of that. Kyubey won't hurt your friend, isn't that right."
Kyubey nodded slightly in agreement. -Of course. If anything, I'd be willing to help her. This girl has the potential to be a fairly strong magical girl. If she were to make a wish then together you and she would make a formidable team.-
Mami's eyes shone with surprise. "Oh? W-well now. How exciting!"
Madoka couldn't help but wince slightly at the hopeful note in Mami's words. The one problem with her goal of preventing Kyubey from tricking any more of her friends this Loop was that it meant Mami would be stuck as Mitakihara's only Magical Girl. And there was only so much her other self and Sayaka could do for Mami's loneliness without sharing her fate. But even so, although her capacity to help was only as far as her arms could reach, still... she would do her best to make those she cared about as happy as she could to the best of her ability.
Part of that of course meant keeping Kyubey from deceiving the other Madoka and Sayaka, but part of it also meant making sure Mami wasn't all by herself, most likely by getting Kyoko to make up with her. It didn't matter that she was a cat, that just meant she'd have to work extra hard and do her best even more than usual. What mattered was helping the people she loved no matter how hopeless things seemed.
She could do it. She would. No matter what.
20.2 - (Me & krspaceT)
[Code Geass]
With a tired sigh, the young, not yet 7 year old form of Lelouch vi Britannia (11th prince, 17th in line, surprisingly not that far removed all things considered) put down his pencil.
His tutor eyed the resulting drawing in interest. "Oh my." Clovis La Britannia, 3rd Prince of Britannia stated in sincere glee. "Your drawing skills have greatly improved, my young padawan".
"..." Lelouch ignored the resulting effects of the last Star Wars marathon that Cornelia made them sit through (a recut made in loop by the disguised 3PO, fixing many of the problems the baseline movies had) to note what he had drawn.
It was a rough sketch, but it had clear potential. Even if he would never be Clovis's equal in art (and he wouldn't try to, it was probably best his sibling had the one thing he was good at remain that way), the drawing could easily get him through any high quality art program for kids his age.
It was kind of nice, letting Clovis teach him art for a loop. It was calming, a good way to remember on occasion that Clovis was, at this point, family and not someone he had to shoot in the head, and it also was a good way to keep Euphie from ambushing him.
When he was busy drawing a rather good looking pencil script portrait of himself, Euphie, Cornelia, Clovis, and Nunnally, she would not try and jump on him.
It was the perfect anti-sister shield, and it could possibly open some avenues for later loops. Perhaps Manga...
"Lelou! Come play with me!"
His eyes went wide as he heard the cry, and the footsteps.
Seconds later, a pink missile knocked him off his chair and onto the ground, as Clovis laughed at his misery.
Family. Truly his most fearsome enemy. Even when they were not trying to kill him or cause instrumentality.
New Loop
Stumbling mid-step Suzaku blinked owlishly as he took in his surroundings. He had apparently Awoken some time a few weeks before the point he typically started and with that fact in mind he decided it would be a good time to re-familiarize himself with the neighborhood he had lived in before the Shinjuku incident. So when the bus from the Britannian Military Base had left he had taken the time to make sure he was on it.
Watching the streets pass by through the windows he found himself with the rarest of luxuries, free-time. It wasn't that he never had the opportunity to simply relax, it was more that he usually had to focus on the events of the Loop. Especially with an Anchor like Lelouch who rarely ever seemed to see the point in a mostly Baseline run. Granted the Baseline was pretty terrible in a lot of ways, but even so a little familiarity would be appreciated. Turning his head he observed the people around him. Aside from the other soldiers and cadets there were also a fair number of average citizens, among them a small group of teenage Britannians seated in the back.
Suzaku found his gaze focusing on the four youths due to the fact that rather than listening to obnoxious music or playing on their phones they appeared to be reading. Taking a closer look he was surprised to find that the books in their hands were in fact Manga, such as he had read when he was younger. After the conquering of Japan and it's forced reformation as Area 11, Manga sales had fallen sharply and so the fact that of all people a group of Britannians had gotten a hold of one was extremely surprising. Not nearly as surprising however as the damningly familiar symbol printed on the back of it, the symbol of the Black Knights superimposed over the Geass sigil. And to the left, barely legible from where he was sitting he could read the words: World of C publishing, a subsidiary of Zero Corp.
-x-x-x-x-
Immediately after getting off the bus, Suzaku headed into the nearest Cyber Café and began looking for information on the Zero Corporation. The results were both immediate and impressive.
New Corporation Certainly Not A Zero
The business world has been thrown into an uproar at the latest product from the mysterious Zero Corporation, a stunning new medical breakthrough which promises to breath new life into spinal injury research and physical therapy. The company spokesman was quoted as saying "The burden of physical disabilities on both the afflicted and their caregivers is a subject which strikes close to the heart of Zero Corporation owner and founder Launcelot Uther Pendraig. As such he has poured his soul into ensuring that all available efforts have been made to end this terrible tragedy, and if you will pardon the pun, give scientists a leg to stand on."
This marks yet another revolutionary innovation from the fledgling company which seemed to spring full form from the ground only three years ago.
Skipping the rest of the article Suzaku moved onto the next result.
Who is Launcelot Uther Pendraig?
This has been the question on everyone's lips ever since the introduction of the personal Float System, which made flight accessible to any Britannian citizen and all but the poorest of Numbers. However for the first time ever new evidence has been found which sheds new light on the controversy. Reliable sources within the government confirm what has long been suspected. The shadowy genius behind the meteoric rise of the Zero Corporation is a fabrication, existing solely on paper and by word of mouth.
So then who is he really, if he is even a he at all? And why does this enigmatic figure insist on hiding in the darkness, unseen by all. Conspiracy theorists would have you believe that he is in fact a subversive element hidden in plain sight waiting for the time to strike against the Emperor. Others believe him to be a disgraced noble attempting to buy his way back into favor by advancing scientific progress. Either way, one thing everyone can agree on is that they can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
Skimming the remaining results on the page, Suzaku finally found the one which he had originally sought.
Zero Corporation To Attempt It's Most Daring Action Yet
The Corporate giant has announced plans to produce a new line of products based around cultural exports from the Areas. This declaration has been met with mixed results as long time loyalists stand by the beloved company while conservatives within the homeland have denounced the 'attempt to corrupt Britannian culture'. Among the products being offered are several forms of cuisines and beverages; personal, private and business architecture design and manufacturing; and multiple forms of entertainment including books, movies and liberal arts.
It remains to be seen whether the Zero Corporation can live up to it's sterling reputation following the controversial move or if it will finally reach too far and end it's unprecedented growth as a passing footnote in Britannian history.
Sitting back in his chair, Suzaku considered the situation. Clearly Lelouch was Awake and likely had been for at least three years now. The question he had to ask himself was what exactly he hoped to gain by his actions. Whatever the case he wasn't going to find much else here, and so closing the browser he left the Café. He would have to wait until he actually found Lelouch to get answers, but for now he was hit with a sense of nostalgia and his next goal was to get himself a copy of the Manga his friend was publishing.
-x-x-x-x-
'Okay, this is not what I was expecting.' Suzaku thought to himself as he thumbed through his newest purchase.
He had seen a lot of things during his time in the Loops, some of which were amusing, some of which were boring, and some of which were mind-numbingly horrifying. However he could safely say that until now he had never seen himself as an action/adventure protagonist in a series of Manga. Granted none of the characters he was looking at were obviously him, each being heavily modified, however that didn't change the fact that he could clearly see that they were all modeled extensively after himself. He wasn't sure whether to be flattered or irritated, and so he instead settled for being just plain confused.
Standing in the background of the funeral pyre which slowly consumed the body of Prince Cyclone, Suzumaru wasn't sure whether to be happy or angry. On the one hand his tormentor and the man who had forced this unnatural power upon him had been slain by the vigilante Cero, never again to visit harm upon the innocent. However as he took in the weeping form of Princess Euphoria and the even more stone-faced than normal expression on Princess Celsius he couldn't help but wonder 'was this truly justice?'
Skimming a few volumes Suzaku took another glance at the material.
"Cero! How dare you show your face after what you've done! Have you no shame, was it not enough that you killed him? Do you feel vindicated now that you have forever besmirched my brother's honor?" Celsius raged, her normally calm visage marred by anger and hate.
"Ah dear Celsius, how wonderful to see you. Did you enjoy my gift? I'm sure it was enlightening. It is not often you see such a telling Exposé after all. And from the source itself even. Cyclone certainly had a good deal to get off of his chest before his untimely end, no?"
Celcius, lost in her fury charged forth, her control over snow and ice rendering the surrounding fields a frozen wasteland. Sending forth a blizzard which would knock Cero into the next ice age, she was stunned as her attack was countered by a blinding flare of light and heat. Landing in front of the masked vigilante, her flight still unsteady from inexperience with her new-found powers, a redheaded woman took up a defensive stance.
"You cannot pass! I am Kazuki, servant of the Secret Prince and wielder of the Radiant Surge. Your Cryokinesis will not avail you, Glacier of Britannia! Go back to the Emperor. You shall not pass! "
Suzaku suppressed the groan he felt as he read the blatant ripoff of a certain wizard. Lelouch was really stretching it here if this was supposed to be Kallen. Switching over to one of the other titles he picked one at random and opened it.
Sebastian Knight stared in transfixed horror as his mentor Benjamin Franklin crumbled around the knife which had inexplicably appeared in his chest. Suddenly the sound of monotonous clapping echoed out in the silence of the forest.
"Oh very good, he died quite beautifully wouldn't you agree?"
Turning in fear, Sebastian beheld the white haired man who approached; his eyes covered by a stripe of cloth yet still locked unerringly with his own terrified gaze. This... this... monster had killed his teacher!
"Now now, is that any way to think? I'm here to set you free after all. Just imagine, no more pain, no more suffering. Doesn't that sound nice? Ah, no need to speak. I can hear it all in your head. Indeed the young are so pure at heart."
Pulling out a large cleaver blade, the man came ever closer to the petrified boy. "Don't worry, it's like I told you. I'm going to set you free. Your teacher interfered with the plans of my boss you see, so he had to go away. But he's in a better place now! And soon you can see him again!"
As he raised the blade Sebastian could only stare wide-eyed, however before the man could swing he suddenly stiffened and instantly turned to face the treeline.
"Could it be? ...It is! I would know that beautiful silent mind anywhere, she's finally come for me! My angel, My love, Cassandra. Oh wait for me my beloved, I'm coming!"
As quickly as he had come he disappeared. Moments later a beautiful green haired woman appeared and grabbed him, before running swiftly in the opposite direction as the madman. "We must leave, Mengyao won't take long to discover the deception. If you wish to live then stay silent."
Suzaku took a second to process what he had just read. Clearly this series was darker than the previous, but no less entertaining. However that still didn't change the fact that he could clearly identify the resemblance between the main character and his own younger self. He flipped a few pages and resumed reading.
"Who am I you ask? I have had many names over the years: Circe, Morgana, Freyja, Hecate. You however may call me Cassandra. I am a witch."
Sebastian stumbled backwards blindly, falling to his back as he scrambled away. "A w-w-witch!"
Cassandra smirked. "Yes little boy, a witch. Honestly, its as if you believe I intend to steal your soul!"
Sebastian stilled at this contradiction to his prior beliefs. "You-you don't?"
"Of course not, if anything I would wish to give mine away! Immortality is a burden, one I would prefer not to carry any longer. To that I would offer you a contract. I will give you power to avenge your dead master, to accomplish whatever goals you possess. In return when the time comes, you will relieve me of my immortality and take my place. I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Eden Vital. If you will submit to this will and this reason… then answer!"
Sebastian considered this, weighing the possibility of death and damnation against the lives which he might save. In the end there was only one choice.
"I accept this contract."
Cassandra smirked. "Then let it be so. An oath shall be sworn here. I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell. From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by this a blessing of might, come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance!"
Sebastian was engulfed in a sea of light, and when it cleared there stood an armored figure cloaked in a shining white form of knighthood.
"Is that... the Lancelot?" Indeed the suit of armor his Manga self wore was shaped like a human sized version of his Knightmare Frame, countless Loops allowing him to easily identify every facet of the Seventh Generation model.
"And really Lelouch, were the words to the Fate/Stay Loops' Servant Summoning ritual really necessary?" Shaking his head he pulled out a later volume of the series and skimmed through it as Sebastian went on meet copies of alternate versions of two of the Knights of the Round, namely Anya and Gino, as well as a edgier version of Jeremiah each of whom were given their own power suits in the design of their baseline Frames. However once the group started on the Sentai poses it became too much for him to continue, a recent Loop as a member of the Ginyu Force causing flashbacks.
He took out a copy of the third and final series from World of C publishing and quickly skimmed through the highlights. This time the protagonist was more obviously modeled after Lelouch, but only in form. In all other ways he was still a copy of himself. In this series Britannia never rose to world superpower status following a successful Revolution in the Americas. The protagonist, while still being the son of the would be Emperor, was not a noble but merely a wealthy citizen with a smaller family consisting of only him, his sister and his two cousins; both of whom were obviously stand-ins for Euphemia and Cornelia.
While on a family vacation/business trip to China his parents were assassinated by an adult version of V.V, whom Suzaku recognizing from the rare Loops where the brother of the Britannian Emperor fully grew up before taking a code. It was quickly revealed that he was acting on orders of a proxy for the Geass Directorate, which was set up in a manner he recognized as Ra's al Ghul's League Of Assassins from the DC Loops, and funded by the High Eunuchs...who were actually played exactly like their actual selves.
A wealthy business man clearly modeled after Taizō Kirihara whom his parents were doing business with and seemingly a friend of the family proceeded to adopt him and his sister, hiring a ninja maid who was nearly identical to Sayako and a martial arts teacher who looked like a fourty year older Tohdoh to teach him to fight. And now Suzaku could see where this was going. As far as Batman origin stories went it was pretty cut and dry.
Setting down the manga Suzaku lay down with his arms spread to his sides with a sigh.
"Lelouch, I think we need to have a talk about this."
Several weeks later Lelouch sat comfortably in his office after managing to avoid much of the problems with the Shinjuku incident by using his Geass to force Clovis to act like a decent human being for a change, which he knew from experience had the pleasant side benefit of bypassing much of the remainder of the issues with the start of the Loop. At least until his Father sent Cornelia in to replace her 'incompetent' brother.
His side project was also coming along nicely, already he had made major headway into funding for the Black Knights and as his plans progressed he was certain that there would be a good deal more effort spent to track the Red Herring he had laid at Britannia's door in the form of the pretentious, even by his standards, pseudonym Launcelot Uther Pendraig. And even if his company was forced out of business, although rather unlikely due to it being a wildly popular publicly traded company, he already had more than enough blackmail material with the footage his spy cameras had caught.
He had rarely ever seen Cornelia so at a loss for words as she was whenever she was reading his publications. And he had enjoyed a bit of personal satisfaction at having caught Schneizel blatantly fanboying as he read his own copies. He idly wondered if he could 'accidently' leak the photos onto the internet. However he was brought out of his musings as his speaker buzzed, and the voice of C.C sounded out.
"Zero, there's someone here to talk to you." ...Was it just him or did she sound more amused than usual?
'Well, this is unexpected. Who would want to talk to Zero so early in the game and, more importantly, why?'
Replacing his mask, he pressed the speaker button. "Very well C.C, let them in."
Whoever Lelouch had expected, it was not the person who stepped through the doors. Standing in the doorway, a copy of one of his products in his right hand and a bag full of several others in his left, was his best friend and sometimes Knight of Zero. "Lelouch, would you mind explaining these?" Suzaku asked in a far too even tone as he held up the damning evidence.
"Uh, Suzaku. Erm... hi. You're Awake... since when?" Lelouch babbled as he tried to come up with a good excuse. He had specifically waited for three years just to be sure that no one other than himself and C.C were Awake this Loop before setting up the Zero Corporation, all in order to avoid this exact confrontation. Damn that witch for not warning him! This...this was going to be awkward.
C.C, for her part, simply smirked as she discreetly snapped several photos of Lelouch trying to avoid making himself look like a fool. Kallen was going to love this.
"Oh Rivalia, I have always admired your beauty and strength..." A action figure that resembled a certain Student Council president, dressed in what appeared to be a yellow and blue one piece swimsuit with a cape, thigh high boots, and fingerless gloves spoke in what was clearly a boy's voice trying to be a girl, as a second action figure appeared next to it in a second hand: a blue haired girl dressed as some sort of ninja garb in various shades of blue who resembled the blue haired boy playing with her, or at least his twin sister.
"I love you, Macy Ashton, I've loved you always!" the female action figure replied in a voice that was more a guy being a guy, as opposed to trying to have the guy sound like a girl.
"Oh Rivalia!"
The action figures moved in to kiss each other, as said student council president walked in on the scene with her own personal genius and swim-club member.
All movement seemed to cease, the palpable silence more fitting to walking in on someone doing something far more mortifying.
"...Rivalz..." Milly began in a even tone of voice that was not normally heard from Milly Ashford.
"Um, yes Pres?" Rivalz tried to hide the dolls he was shipping from the girls lines of sight.
"Your voice-acting is terrible." she told him with a amused smirk. "If you must play with the doll of a fictional character that looks eerily like me, you really should work on actually sounding like me"
All other council members with her lost their footing and comically collapsed at that response, which was just too...Millyish.
"I still think the whole thing is creepy." Nina commented a few minutes later, having recovered and now starting their four person council meeting (Lelouch was off doing Lelouchy things, and Nunnally apparently had a ton of homework to do).
She was of course referring to the action figures currently in Rivalz's possession and posing on the table: a complete set of Cero's 'Knights of Color': The Knights of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple: Kazuki, Sally, Macy Ashton, C, Rivalia, and Nikki, who greatly resembled real life Kallen Stadtfeld (Their oft missing classmate), Shirley, Milly, not sure who, Female Rivalz, and Nina.
Of course, for Nina it was disturbing for more than just the idea that someone was using her as a template for making money: the fact her counterpart was working with, for, and under Elevens scared her a little.
What if one day some Elevens saw her and thought she was Nikki?!
"I'm sure it is just a coincidence." Shirley reassured the nervous girl. "I do wish, however, that a certain someone would stop posing them erotically!"
At that snappy remark Rivalz stopped trying to make it look like all the Knights of Color were lying at the feet of Rivalia seductively.
True, she could have told him to put them all away and actually do work, but this was a Council Meeting, work was rarely done at such gatherings.
Kallen Woke Up, in both styles of the world, to an argument.
"You know very well that Kallen doesn't like you playing with Kazuki dolls Tamaki!"
"Screw that, she's awesome! Didn't you read last chapter, she blasted The V in the face with a radioactive Falcon Punch! Besides, you know that Zero Corp pays for the Rebellion anyway, so the more Kazuki merchandise I buy the more money we get to kick Britannian ass! Plus Ohgi, they aren't dolls, they are action figures!"
Her loop memories kicking in, Kallen quickly debated whether or not to go back to bed, but figured she had other things to do.
Like apparate over to this 'Zero Corp' and giving a certain someone a piece of her mind.
Lloyd Asplund; Head Director of the Camelot Research Division, Britannian Earl and stealth Looper; sauntered into his office. It didn't appear his sparring partner was Awake just yet, so for the time being he had nothing of particular interest to occupy his time. With Zero's rebellion yet to begin he couldn't even play with his beloved Lancelot. Catching sight of a pile of mail sitting at his desk he idly riffled through it.
"Let's see, what do we have here. Bill, bill, bill, lawsuit, wedding contract...Ooo my Pudding of the Month subscription!" Dumping the rest of the letters in front of Cecile, who was wasting her time with one of those silly comic books, he headed off to enjoy one of the few things which never ceased to bring him joy no matter how often he traveled in time.
Distracted from the Knight of Color's battle against the villainous mastermind The V, Cecile looked up from her Manga at the sound of the mail hitting her desk. Glancing down her gaze was captured by a familiar notice. With a sigh she opened the latest subpoena. Several moments later she dropped the letter in surprise.
"Camelot is being sued for copyright infringement? But, but-what?" Grabbing the summons in her grip she quickly chased down her friend and superior.
-x-x-x-x-
The next week the courts saw the opening volley of the (Legal) Battle of Avalon. Launcelot v. Camelot, Launcelot v. Pendragon, Launcelot v. the Knights of the Round. And all the while the Empire was forced to deal with the vigilante Zero (who avoided the court circus only because no one could find him to deliver the warrants.) Truly it was a good time to be a lawyer.
...Suzumaru, his fists blazing with fire, stared down his former teacher Tenzo of Miracles.
Much had changed in the 7 years since they last seen one another, since Japan became Area 11. Suzumaru certainly did not possess the power of fire as a result of the experimentation of Prince Cyclone, and Tenzo did not have glowing eyes marked with that of a red crane.
The mark of Cero, the killer of Cyclone and a man who could give power to others by means unknown.
"You are on the wrong side Suzumaru." Tenzo told the boy, as if he was still his pupil. "You have betrayed your country."
"Our country is gone Tenzo!" Suzumaru insisted "What good is continuing this pointless war!? Cero will destroy everything trying to prove some point, and even if he does win, what then!? Cero's Japan is built upon corpses!"
"So is Area 11, yet you still fight for it." That was the first part of Tenzo's response.
The second was Laser Vision.
The red light flew out of his eyes in a 3 meter long red stream, which Suzumaru dodged with a dynamic leap to the side. As he skidded, however, the laser beam performed a sharp 90 degree turn and flew right at him.
His eyes wide, Suzumaru stamped the ground and a dome of fire formed around him blocking the lasers. Tenzo seemed amused, before withdrawing from his side a gun...
"Urabe!"
The Holy Sword fumbled, snapped out of the fictional world, albeit one based on their own, of Prism: War of the Gods. The Manga fell to the ground, as his boss glared at him.
"Oh come General Tenzo, it was just getting good!"
"My name is Todoh, Urabe. Tenzo is a fictional character based on me." Todoh said in a tone which suggested he had had to remind him of that more often than he'd prefer. "Honestly, I fail to see the appeal of these Zero Corp manga."
"Well you can't ban them sir, they do wonders for morale." Chiba reminded her boss and crush, all the while not moving her eyes from Eden Vital: Dawn of the Knight Rangers. "Plus, General Katase is an avid fan of them."
Todoh grumbled something that sounded like a curse to the ancestors of Launcelot Uther Pendraig.
Meanwhile, while gazing at the World of C an Emperor and a possessed Knight of the Round both sneezed violently.
Noting the cardboard cut-out figure of Cero (basically Zero but with his suit looking a bit more like something Tony Stark or Terry McGinnis would use than just a oversized Halloween costume and a slightly altered shade of coloring to said suit) posed dramatically at the entrance to the 'Zero Animations Studio room' (Just above the long absorbed Pizza Hut HQ floor and below the 'Dark Bishop Gaming studio room' where Super Orange Brothers was currently having a sequel made), Suzaku felt like he needed to yell at Lelouch some more.
Point or no point, royalties or no royalties, the guy was really starting to push it.
"You are turning your Manga into freakin' Anime!?" Suzaku demanded as the Former Prince turned Revolutionary turned Multi-Media Juggernaut smirked.
"Why not, there is virtually nothing good on Television after all: and I own a few of the only good channels so N.I.A.G.R.I can't mess with it. Plus, thanks to my various policies for treating my Japanese employees well, including kindergarten, schools, healthcare, and free lunches I have a large talent-pool of former producers to make masterpieces."
"They bother Mickey and friends, not us." Suzaku commented on the anti-quality television Illuminati that may or may not occasionally bother a certain Mouse. "But really Lelouch, I think you are starting to push your luck here. I mean, eventually you are going to depict someone, correctly in truth but in a way that will not fly well. If you adapt F.L.E.I.J.A. as a story arc..."
"Oh, Schneizel loves Schrodinger and Staltsworth even when they do things just as questionable." Lelouch assured his friend of Schneizel's counterparts in Prism and Eden Vital respectively. "He sent me a letter praising his depictions and even asked when I am going to release Phase 2 of the Action Figure series so he can have them."
"...I'd be surprised if V.V isn't already plotting to kill you even now..."
"I have Sayoko armed with a lightsaber." or at least a Zerosaber, which he managed to create with Sakuradite after studying them for a few loops. "His threat is invalid."
"Sure, give Britannia lightsabers, there is no way that could go wrong." Suzaku felt a rare moment of snark come to surface with the mental image of Sutherlands with the cutting power of the Jedi. The M.V.S was the closest their world needed to such weapons.
"Oh, they are officially still in development for the Diamond industry." Lelouch quickly assured his friend. "Believe me Suzaku, I have thought of all potential issues that could possibly come up..."
Kallen appeared next to him via teleportation just as he said this, before slugging him in the back of the head.
"Why the hell are there action figures of myself Lelouch!?" she demanded furiously as Suzaku felt a sense of deja vu, considering he had a similar reaction, if less physical, to this loop.
Lelouch murmured something in his agony about redheads.
Suzaku couldn't help but wonder once again exactly how Lelouch had managed to convince him to do this. This, being an interview with a very familiar news reporter and recent Black Knight. As he waited for his cue he took a moment to look around the area the interview would be taking place. He and his two 'brothers', technically transformed Shadow Clones protected by a skintight AT field, stood in a small sound booth which was the whole reason he was being dragged into this in the first place. Before he could continue that line of thought however one of the aides gave him the signal and he and his clones headed into the studio. After being directed to his seat he turned to his interviewer.
Diethard Ried sat with an ecstatic grin on his face as he took in the trio before him. When he had joined the Black Knights he had thought only to document the rise of the masked terrorist as he made his bid to conquer Britannia. Discovering that Zero himself was the owner and C.E.O of Zero Corp rather than simply a man capitalizing on the company's existence as the rest of the world believed was an unexpected bonus. Finding out that he was also the author and artist of the company's wildly popular graphic novel was simply icing on the cake. But this? This was almost enough to make him start worshiping his new employer as his own golden idol. Forcing his expression to one of professionalism as he was given the three count, he prepared himself for the biggest scoop of his news career.
"Hello and thank you for tuning into Hi-TV. This is Diethard Ried bringing you an exclusive interview with the biggest stars on the voice acting circuit. With me today are none other than the three brothers who have stolen the attention of the world in their roles as Suzumaru Kurtis, arch nemesis of the criminal mastermind Cero; Sebastian Knight, leader of the Knight Rangers and Simon King, otherwise known as his alter ego Batman. Gentlemen thank you for your time."
Suzaku smiled awkwardly, the expression mirrored on the altered faces of his 'brothers'. "It's no problem. We're glad to be here."
"So tell us, what made three Honorary Britannians decide to audition for the most sought after roles in all of Britannia. You must have been up against some stiff competition."
"The other auditionees were actually very supportive, even after we were chosen for the parts." the clone playing Simon replied, his deep voice showing why he had been selected to play the cowled vigilante.
That response was actually entirely truthful, Suzaku thought to himself as Diethard continued his questions. Of course considering the only people who had actually made it to the final audition were decoys, clones or Black Knights it was more accurate to say the other auditionees knew from the start that the part was always going to go to him to begin with and so there were no hard feelings by design. Likewise for several of the other roles, namely those which had been given to the members of the Ashford Student Council after Milly had dragged them all kicking and screaming to the auditions. Hilariously enough, no one had been more surprised by the group's hiring than the Pres herself; and that was a picture Suzaku would laugh over for a long time to come.
Suzaku tuned back into the ongoing interview when he realized he was being addressed. Grimacing he tried to recall what the question had been, but was unable. "I'm sorry could you please repeat that?"
Diethard frowned, but 'Sebastian' came to Suzaku's rescue. "My brother's not very good with cameras. To answer your question, that was actually one of the reason's we decided to go into voice acting instead of live action."
Diethard gave an understanding nod. "Of course, not all stars can shine on the silver screen. But you said one of the reasons, the others?"
Suzaku allowed Sebastian to take over, taking advantage of his supposed camera issues. The answer to that question was what had originally convinced him to take leave from the army and join Lelouch's side project.
'Consider this Suzaku. Whom do you think has more influence? A soldier who risks his life on the battlefield in the hopes of surviving long enough to gain command, or a national celebrity who holds the heart of the people and can thus sway their minds in turn?'
Countless years of experience allowed Jeremiah Gottwald to smoothly avoid crashing into a passing aide without effort as he Awoke mid-step. Walking down the colonnade of the Aries Villa he swiftly checked his Loop memories, only to be disappointed. Even knowing what she and the Emperor intended, Jeremiah was nothing if not loyal and so he always relished the opportunity to save Lady Marianne whenever possible. Sadly that was not a particular joy he would be able to experience this Loop, as his memories informed him he was several years too late.
Even so, until he had reason to venture to the recently conquered Area 11 to assist his Lord he would do all he could to ensure the safety of the remainder of the Imperial Family. Sending out a Ping he was rewarded with several responses. Likely then that Lelouch's other allies were Awake as well. Striding down the hallways he heard a commotion from ahead and, always dutiful, he moved to investigate.
Upon reaching the door from which the sounds were originating however, he calmed himself as he recognized the voices of the people within.
"Hey c'mon, it's my turn. I bought it, I should get to use it!" This was obviously Gino, the blonde's childish whining when not in combat was easily identifiable.
"No. I'm not done." The monotone voice of Anya, although pleasantly familiar to him after uncountable years working together, came as a surprise to the Looping Margrave.
Curious to see what had captured the attention of the two, and from the sound of things several others, he opened the door.
Only to see himself riding a dinosaur, a familiar one at that, across the screen of the wall-sized LCSD television.
Removing his gaze from the sight, he took in the rest of the room. Several members of the Purist Faction, including both Villetta and Kewell, were lounging on couches around a midsized device with a logo reading Chaturanga³. Directly underneath that was the Geass symbol overlaid by the words Dark Bishop Gaming.
The words triggered one of his Loop memories and he took a moment to recall the announcement from the Zero Corp spokesperson saying that the company would be branching out into other forms of entertainment following the massive successes of their graphic novel series'. Clearly Lelouch was trying something different this Loop.
Realizing that the room had gone abruptly still, he refocused his attention outward. His presence had been noted by the others present and, with the exception of Anya who was calmly button mashing her way to victory, no one dared move or say anything. Moving with purpose towards the center couch, every eye in the room save his own and Anya's following him as he did so, he deliberately took a seat next to the pink haired Knight of the Round. Wordlessly she passed him the second controller.
20.3 - (Me)
[Hellsing/Familiar of Zero]
Louise coughed as the cloud of smoke from her summoning washed over her. Another Loop, another explosion. While it was always interesting to see what new Familiar she had summoned, the reversion from respected Mage and Crown Princess to Louise the Zero was an unfortunate side-effect. Speaking of which the first line of taunting should be beginning any moment now.
"By the founder, what is that?!"
Louise blinked. Okay, not what she had expected but it meant that she probably hadn't summoned Saito this time. So who did she get this time?
"It's a body, Louise summoned a dead body!"
"That's a new low even for her."
"Can that even be called a Familiar?"
"I bet she killed him with her explosive summons."
"No, look at it. It's been dead for a long time."
"Who cares about that. I got hit with a flying rock from Louise's summoning. I'm bleeding. Shut up about the stupid mummy."
Louise clenched her fists. "Shut up! Don't you have any respect for the dead?! Even if I messed up, that's no excuse for acting like a bunch of-of"
-Monsters.-
The collected group of students fell back in shock as the supposed corpse's voice echoed horribly around the courtyard. No one had noticed, but when they hadn't been paying attention the Familiar had moved; crouched over the ground near the last student who had spoke. As the terrified boy watched in horror, the creature's tongue stretched out and licked up the meager drops of blood which had been spilt.
Abruptly he straightened, his body moving in ways no normal creature should accompanied by the crack of bone and cartilage as he jerked upright. Then he threw his head back and laughed. And laughed. And kept laughing as he covered his face with one hand and stared with a dark grin at Louise.
To her credit the relatively young Looper met his crimson gaze with only slight hesitation. The person grinned, and then without warning he was standing directly above her; having not appeared to move, yet somehow crossing the entire field.
Falling to her back at his sudden appearance, Louise stared into the depths of his gaze; forcing herself not to break the deadlock. He grinned.
"So then, you who have summoned me. I take you would think to call yourself my Master. I have but one Master, and you are not she. What is your name, little one."
Louise swallowed around her dry mouth and spoke; clearly, precisely and purposefully. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the noble house of Vallière. You are my Familiar and you will know your place you dog!"
The figure was silent, his grin growing wider with every passing second; before he threw his head back and laughed again. "Magnificent, truly magnificent. Humans are such interesting creatures. Very well Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the noble house of Vallière; a dog am I? So be it, if I am to be a dog then it is only fitting that I have a Mistress of character to hold my leash. And if I am to represent nobility, perhaps a change of attire is appropriate."
His body seemed to shimmer, shifting unnaturally at the edges and growing hazy. When he re-solidified, his tattered black straight jacket and leggings had formed into a crimson charcoal suit with an intricately knotted cravat, leather riding boots, a frock overcoat and cape, and a wide brimmed fedora. Upon his hands he wore a pair of white gloves with a runic symbol of a type Louise didn't recognize and his inhuman eyes were also covered by a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed orange sunglasses with sidings.
Sweeping low he performed an elegant bow before the stunned gaze of Louise. "The Bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to keep myself tame. I am Alucard, the No-Life King. I am Awakened. How may I serve you, my Mistress?"
Louise blinked stupidly for a moment, taking in the stunned silence of the courtyard. Even Zerbst, incorrigible loud-mouth that she was, had nothing to say. (Although that likely had more to do with her attempts to undress her Familiar with her eyes than anything else.) Even Mr. Colbert was shocked into inaction, his hands gripped tightly upon his staff but otherwise unmoving. Stiff as a statue even, his eyes locked piercingly upon Alucard with an eagle's gaze; the eyes of a soldier who recognized death come calling.
Louise took all that in, along with Alucard's words, before speaking. "Professor Colbert, I think I should complete the ritual and Anchor my Familiar."
Colbert didn't blink or turn his gaze from Alucard as he replied. "That would likely be for the best Ms. Vallière. In fact I would suggest you not hesitate."
Louise nodded and closed her eyes as her magic gathered. "Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." Reaching up she grabbed Alucard's cravat, and standing upon the tips of her toes she kissed him to seal their contract.
Alucard raised an eyebrow, his grin undiminished; before bringing his hand up to his sight. Removing the glove he watched in fascination as several runes were emblazoned upon his visible flesh. "Fascinating."
Straightening to his full height, he gazed down upon his pink-haired Mistress. She was no Integra, but perhaps given time... well who knew. "Shall we be off Mistress? I'm sure we have much to discuss. The scent of war is in the air, diminished but fragrant nonetheless." He grinned, a twisted mockery of a smile. "It will bloom soon enough, and as my Mistress I'm sure you will make full use of your servant."
Louise grimaced at the reminder of Albion's coming battle with the Reconquista. She hadn't yet managed to find a way to prevent the coming war, but she wasn't going to stop. For Queen Henrietta, for the country of Tristain, for her friends and family and for her honor she couldn't. She would fight when the time came; just as she had always done, and as she always would.
As if sensing her resolve, Alucard's grin grew inhumanely. He gave a brief chuckle, which soon gave way to a slow laugh, until finally he had surrendered to his amusement and his mad laughter echoed around the courtyard; sending chills down the spine of all of those watching. A single thought echoing through all of their heads:
'What kind of monster had Louise the Zero summoned?'
-x-x-x-x-
Alucard stood across from the foppish boy who had challenged him to a duel. Guiche de Gramont, a sniveling child playing at romance. It was hardly Alucard's fault if the boy had failed to keep it in his pants, and allowed himself to be caught whispering sweet nothings into the ears of a second woman by the first. He chuckled as he idly twirled a small bottle of perfume between his fingers. Nope, not his fault at all.
"So Familiar, I'm impressed you actually came. You have sullied my honor and that of my beloved Montmorency and for that you cannot be forgiven. I admit your parlor tricks had me fooled alongside the rest of my classmates, but you are still just a commoner. No match for a Noble such as myself. But I'm feeling gracious, if you bow your head and beg my forgiveness I suppose I can allow you to leave."
Alucard simply grinned and remained silent.
Guiche narrowed his brow and scoffed. "So be it. Do you have any final words Familiar?"
Alucard chuckled. "A commoner you say. How pitiful you are, hiding yourself behind the trappings of nobility and calling yourself a man. You are no man, you are but a boy playing pretend. So come on, have I not spat upon your honor? Have I not defiled your good name? Show me Guiche de Gramont, show me your resolve. If you would lay down your judgement upon me, then stand. Stand and fight, and die for the honor you claim to hold precious." Throwing his arms out to the side, he left himself wide open. "Your target is clear, so strike!"
Guiche's gut clenched at the sight of the mad man before him, his eyes darting back and forth across the gathered students. He hadn't expected Louise's Familiar to meet his challenge, and now that he had Guiche was forced to either fight or submit and look a coward in front of his peers. Swallowing heavily he steeled his resolve, and met his opponents eyes. He flinched.
Nevertheless he couldn't back down now, and so with a wave of the artificial rose which served as his wand he called forth his magic; a feminine figure rising from the ground in a ring of light.
"My Name is Guiche the Brass. therefore a brass golem — a Valkyrie to be precise — will be your opponent."
Alucard smirked widely. "Is that so. A Valkyrie. Just one? Is that all your honor is worth to you? A single toy puppet?"
His brow twitching Guiche summoned two more golems to stand alongside the first. "Three then. I will not lower myself to using my full might against a commoner, be grateful."
With a laugh, Alucard met Guiche's gaze eagerly. In the next moment the Valkyries charged, the ground beneath their feet cratering as they advance. Alucard never moved. Even as they ran him through, his blood spattering the ground and staining the earth, he remained standing with his arms thrown wide and a grin upon his face; staring into Guiche's horrified eyes.
For a moment the courtyard was silent, then the students began screaming. As Guiche fell limply to his knees, staring traumatized at his victim, Louise finally managed to make her way to the scene. She had allowed herself to believe that someone like Alucard would be above accepting Guiche's taunting, and only too late did she find out about the duel. Staring in disbelief at her skewered Familiar she cursed herself for not preventing the fight in the first place. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was practically an unwritten rule of the Loops. Guiche always challenged her Familiar to a fight, no matter who they were. And they always accepted. She had thought just this once... maybe someone would have enough brains in their head to say no!
"Alucard!" Louise's tearful cry was loud enough to cut through the uproar of the panicking students, drawing her several pitying looks. However, abruptly the air grew heavy and all eyes were drawn to the center of the courtyard where the two fighters still stood. The wind blew ominously, and despite the perfect weather it felt as though the sun had hidden its face.
-hahahahHaHaHAHAHAHAHAHAH!-
"Is that all you have Guiche de Gramont? Such a shame." In a flash of motion, the Valkyries impaling Alucard fell to scrap around him. His form wavered, shifting and twisting unnaturally, bathed in shadows despite the noon sun; only his crimson eyes and fanged grin visible. "My turn."
Faster than the student body could react the ground surrounding Alucard all the way to the far wall and beyond was torn asunder, ripped from its bed in the earth and reduced to rubble. In the center, surrounded by upturned rocks and stone in a perfect outline of his body, Guiche lay immobile; terrified beyond thought or motion as Alucard walked towards him.
"You should be grateful, I chose not to lower myself to using my full might against you. I hardly need to explain just how lucky you are. But your luck's just run out."
Staring with wide eyes as death approached, Guiche paid no mind to the tears running down his face; his sole thought being the knowledge that he was going to die; and the wish to live. However his gaze, and that of everyone else's, was drawn away at the sound of a shout from the sidelines. Standing with her fists clenched at her side, shaking with tension, Louise stared down the demon which sought to end his life.
"That's enough Alucard! You've proven your point. I order you to stop, heel you stupid dog!"
All was still, before Alucard grinned and laughed. "As you wish my Mistress, if you say this boy should live then I obey." Turning to face Guiche again with a mocking grin, he spoke one last time. "Remember this day Guiche the Brass, you faced a monster and lived to see the light of a new morning. Remember to thank my Mistress, she saved your life."
While Alucard turned and bowed at Louise's feet, accepting of her anger without complaint, Guiche sank his head to the ground bonelessly; his heart desperately trying to escape from his chest.
Suddenly without warning his head was knocked to the side, and then again, as Montmorency slapped him fiercely; tears in her eyes. "You stupid moron. Don't you ever do something that stupid again!"
Guiche shuddered. She didn't need to worry, once was one time too many to come face to face with a monster; he wasn't eager to repeat the experience. And may the Founder have mercy on anyone who was so unlucky as to fight against Louise de la Vallière, because the Familiar of Zero would not be denied a second time.
20.1 - Madokity!
20.2 - Lelouch decided to create a media Empire instead of his regular, boring, old, normal Empire.
20.3 - Midkemia, meet Midian.